What makes a person worthy to be labeled as Global Marketer of the Year? The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), in partnership with The Drum has launched the 2018 WFA Global Marketer of the Year award to once again highlight the role that regional and global marketers play in setting the course of the industry and inspiring others to be a force for good. This award highlights those executives who are transforming the industry by inspiring their teams, both internal and external, creating brand strategies that make a difference to society as well as delivering better business results for the companies they work for.
A terrific charter. Very similar to the framework I describe of people I dubbed Decathlete Marketeers™ in my last book, Marketing for Tomorrow, Not Yesterday: Surviving and Thriving in the Insight Economy™. When you look at the six finalists for this award, you will see that they’re true Decathletes. For ease, I’ve provided this list with a quote of their beliefs from interviews posted on The Drum:
Ukonwa Ojo, Coty Consumer Beauty: Chief Marketing Officer
“We launched TruBlend Matte Made, which is the number one launch in face cosmetics this year. The reason why it was actually really successful is because the team that created that foundation was as diverse as the community that they were serving. They realized how important it is for us to provide certain benefits like the fact that it was transfer-resistant. That’s something that people of color had struggled with for a long time. That’s just an example of when you have a team that is as diverse as the community that you are serving. The insights are easier, and they are a lot richer and the team is really motivated to serve those consumers,” she said.
Marc S. Pritchard, Procter & Gamble: Chief Brand Officer
“We want to be a great global citizen and we’ve identified key areas where we’re going to do that. One is community impact, another one is gender equality, another one is diversity and inclusion, another one is sustainability. Within those what we’ve asked every brand to think about is what can they do specifically to become a great global citizen within any one of those areas,” he says.
Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard: Chief Marketing & Communications Officer and President – Healthcare Business
“Brand is not the private territory of marketing. Everyone in the company is a brand ambassador. So, how do you make sure that everyone feels that sense of involvement, feels that sense of ownership and go about it? That’s something which we have been very, very consciously cultivating and driving and I’m very happy to say that we are making excellent progress,” he said.
Syl Saller, Diageo: Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer
“One thing that we made the choice to do – and I got some questions [internally] about this – was that we’ve developed what we think is a particularly robust framework [on progressive gender portrayal]. I said: ‘Listen, if we really want to make change in the industry, let’s share it,’” she said.
Keith Weed, Unilever: Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
“I think the brands that work, the brands that thrive, are the brands that have real meaning. The world is so cluttered right now, why would you want to spend any time with a brand that was just talking about 30% whiter or whatever?” he said.
Claudia Willvonseder, IKEA: CMO/Global Marketing and Communication Manager
“Our commitments […] show that we take our purpose seriously and we take responsibility not only in our business but contributing to society and people. Also, very much in the way we work with our co-workers when it comes to our values and the living wage commitment” she said.
As you can see, each one of these marketers can win the award (and, similar ones) for good reason, as some have done in the past. They are not the traditional one-or-two sport athletes. Like a decathlete (my heroes will always be Daley Thompson and Ashton Eaton), these marketers have found new ways to drive growth by leveraging all ten capabilities – data, digital, mobile, social, experience, engagement, analytics, strategy, equity, and creativity.
And, they inspire me and all other marketers to continue stepping up our game.
So, please go and vote for the one who inspires you.
Don’t procrastinate, the last day to vote is Friday, January 25th. You can cast your vote at: